Welcome to another detailed trip report series and a brand new layout! Since joining this great aviation community almost a year ago, I have always tried to write the most detailed, yet easily readable trip reports on this forum. In order to continue to do this, I have decided to rethink how I layout my information and created a completely new design. I trust that you will like this fresh arrangement and that it will be more accessible than my previous offerings. Please feel free to leave your comments and opinions about the numerous changes in the replies below.

This is the first part of my new three part ‘SQ’s Dying Route in Business Class’ series featuring a short flight with BMI Regional from Edinburgh to Manchester

III. Introduction

Singapore Airlines first started flying to Manchester on the 1st of April 1986 with a Boeing 747-300M via Dubai and Athens. The new route was a major victory for airline, after several years of fighting with the UK Government for the rights to fly to the city. It was Singapore Airlines’ second destination in the UK, 15 years after the services to London began. In the 1990s, the route was upgraded to the then new 747-400 and the frequency of the service was increased incrementally to a daily service in 1999 via Mumbai.

At the end of March 2003, the first non-stop flight between Manchester and Singapore was operated by a 777-200ER; this was and still is one of the longest flights in SQ’s network at 6810 miles. This new service was operated five times a week, with the other two flights a week being operated by a 747-400 via Zurich. On the 28th of December 2006, SQ’s 747 era in Manchester came to an end, when all seven weekly flights became non-stop with a 777-200ER.

However, uncertain times followed, with the daily service being reduced to five times weekly, before becoming daily once more. By 2008, the rising carriers in the Middle East and the economic turmoil posed a very real threat to Singapore Airlines’ existence at Manchester. The new competitors offered more frequencies, similar service and far cheaper prices. Unsurprisingly, SQ reduced the service between Singapore and Manchester to five times weekly in October 2008. The airline’s problems on this route were recently highlighted again by a further reduction in May 2009 to a mere three flights a week, putting the frequency on the route back to 1991 levels.

Sadly, without a letdown in the economic crisis in sight, Singapore Airlines’ days in Manchester appear to be numbered. This was a good enough reason for me to give the A380 in London a pass and to fly through Manchester on my way from the United Kingdom to South East Asia - this was SQ’s longest non-stop European route after all.

This three part trip report series will cover my flight from Edinburgh to Manchester on BMI Regional and the return flights between Manchester and Singapore on Singapore Airlines. Welcome onboard SQ’s Dying Route in Business Class.

IV. Prologue: Edinburgh and its surroundings.

As this journey originated from Edinburgh, I have collected a few pictures of the city and the surrounding Scottish countryside from my recent travels to the region. Scotland is a beautiful country and these images are just a small glimpse into what this part of the world has to offer.

Princess Street as a beautiful day comes to an end.

North Bridge with the Edinburgh Railway station below.

The majestic Forth Road Bridge northwest of Edinburgh.

The lower level of the Edinburgh Castle with the city in the background.

Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is the busiest airport in Scotland and the seventh busiest airport in the United Kingdom. The airport currently handles just shy of 10 million passengers and over 125000 movements per annum. EDI is located just 10km west of the Edinburgh city center and it is easily accessible using the dedicated Express Bus service. The BAA is the owner and operator of EDI and the airport serves as a hub for easyJet, Flyglobespan and Ryanair.

Welcome to ‘Edurgh Airport’.

The crubside just before six in the morning.

II. Landside

I arrived at Edinburgh Airport just before 6:00am. At this time, the terminal was already surprisingly busy and quite a few passengers were at the KLM and British Airways counters. The departures hall at EDI has one long row of counters opposite the entrance as well as a few small shops dotted around. The atmosphere was rather gloomy, which was probably due to the low ceilings and grey titles. The BMI check-in area was conveniently located directly in front of the entrance.

The poorly lit departures all at EDI.

The small BMI and Lufthansa check-in area.

As I approached the Business Class queue, a BMI agent directed me towards the Economy Class line and the quick check-in machines. When I told her that I was flying Business she seemed to be annoyed and asked to see my electronic ticket straight away. I was probably not in accordance with her profile of the average businessman, but this was no excuse to treat me like a dumb first time flyer. As I pulled my ticket out of my bag, she snatched it out of my hand and began to scrutinise it. I gave her a few seconds to glance over the piece of paper before I snatched it back and proceeded to the counter without saying a word. Sadly, this set the tone for the remainder of my flight.

At the counter, the agent looked surprised when she looked up from her newspaper and saw me standing in front of her. She sleepily reached for my ticket and passport and began to issue my boarding pass. By the time she had finished tagging my bag and handing me my documents, she had yet to say a single word. She had even forgotten to put a priority tag on my bag, which I desperately needed due to my very short transit in Manchester, so as I left and sarcastically thanked her for the ‘wonderful’ service I reminded her that my bag was still missing something. The service was appalling.

The closed-off BMI Business Class section.

The BMI Business Class counter where I checked in on the right.

After my horrific check-in experience, I proceeded to the upper level of terminal building. Here, I was greeted by a long corridor lined with a few more small shops. It was now 6:00am and many of the stores had just opened their shutters and started springing to life. Just as in the area downstairs, the atmosphere was dreary and cold. At the end of the corridor, I was greeted by a moderately long queue leading to the security check.

The upper level of the terminal building at EDI.

The queue leading to the ticket and security check.

Thankfully, the queue moved relatively quickly and in less than five minutes I was at the security check. Unlike in Birmingham a few weeks before, the agents decided that all my electronics did not make me a security threat and I passed the detector without incident. By 6:10am, I was inside the waiting hall.

The early morning departures from Edinburgh today.

III. Airside

The waiting hall at Edinburgh Airport did not have much to offer: there were a couple of shops, some open, some closed, one or two cafes and several small seating areas. As I was still feeling quite drowsy at this early time of the day, I decided to head straight for the BMI Business Class lounge.

The EDI waiting hall in the early hours of the morning.

The entrance to the BMI Business Class lounge.

Behind the heavy wooden doors, I was greeted by a cheerful BMI agent who quickly glanced over my boarding pass and admitted me into the lounge. She would be the only friendly BMI employee I would meet on my entire journey with the airline. As I proceeded beyond the welcome desk, I felt like I was walking into an IKEA store. From the fittings to the chairs to the cupboards, everything reminded me of the world famous DIY furniture from Sweden. This is, in my opinion, not a particularly positive characteristics for a Business Class lounge to have.

The corridor leading into the main section of the BMI Business Class lounge.

The main seating area with the IKEA-like furniture.

Some of the more comfortable Sofas next to the windows.

After scouting around for a nice place to sit, I decided to grab one of the sofas at the far end of the lounge. There were only about 10 or so other people relaxing before their flights and the atmosphere was quite tranquil compared to the waiting hall outside. Even so, I found that the main area offered too little privacy, because it was just one large open space. This was not a problem as there were so little people around, but it could be an issue on a busier day.

The relatively empty main seating area.

The small Sofa corner where I decided to take my seat.

One of several Flat Screen TVs showing BBC News.

The food and beverage offerings in the BMI Business Class lounge were pathetic. There was no hot food, there were no savoury snacks and there was no champagne. There might as well not have been anything at all! Apart from a variety of coffee, soft drinks and some poor tasting wine, the only available ‘food’ was a selection of biscuits. Overall, I was very disappointed by what was on offer, especially when one considers that BMI flies to six destinations from Edinburgh and that this is also the only Star Alliance lounge at the airport.

The poor food and beverage selection in the BMI lounge.

This is where the food should have been!

The food and beverage section with the main seating area in the background.

Having not had breakfast before arriving at the airport, I had worked up quite an appetite by 6:20am. Sadly, I had to make do with a Diet Pepsi and some Oat Crunch cookies. In the mean time, the sun was slowly beginning to light up the horizon and my departure time drew closer. By 6:35am, the Flight Information Screens showed that ED380 was ready for boarding, so I grabbed all of my belongings and headed back into the waiting hall.

My attempt at having breakfast in the BMI lounge.

The first signs of daylight just as I was about to leave.

The waiting hall had become far more bustling since I had arrived there half an hour ago. Many flights were now boarding and there was a constant stream of passengers coming from the security check. Thankfully the gate for BD380 was Gate 6 today, which was located just outside the BMI lounge. After a short queue, an indifferent BMI agent checked my ticket and I walked down the jetway where I expected to find my aircraft. Sadly, as our Embraer ERJ-145 was parked at a remote stand, this was not the case and all passengers had to walk down a flight of stairs to a bus waiting on the tarmac.

The gate for BD380 to MAN today: Gate 6.

The closed jetway leading to the stairs on the left.

The short flight of stairs leading down the tarmac from the jetway.

The temperature outside was barely above freezing and unfortunately the bus doors were open and the heating was off. Most passengers slowly shifted towards the far corner of the bus in order to try to keep warm while the bus was waiting in the cold. After more than five minutes the last few passengers had arrived and we were finally on our way to the aircraft. The bus journey lasted less than two minutes and soon we arrived at the BMI regional section of the airfield.

The bus waiting in the cold with the doors wide open.

An Air France (CityJet) Avro RJ85 being prepared for departure.

The Embraer ERJ-145EP taking us to Manchester.

After driving past several other BMI Embraers, the bus pulled up alongside G-RJXH, an Embraer ERJ-145EP. As the doors opened everyone dashed towards the aircraft in the hope that it would be warm inside; sadly this would not be the case. Once the dust had settled, I gathered my belongings and proceeded towards the aircraft as well. I was onboard BD380 at 6:45am, 15 minutes before the scheduled time of departure.

BMI Regional is a subsidy of British Midlands Airlines Ltd. and it operates a small fleet of Embraers. There are a total of 18 aircraft in BMI Regional’s fleet, 4 of which are of the ERJ-135 series and 14 of which are of the ERJ-145 variant. The airline uses these aircraft on all of its domestic and European destinations. The flights between EDI and MAN are usually operated by the EMB-145 variant and this morning was no different. BMI Regional’s EMB-145s seat 50 passengers in a variable two class configuration and there is no curtain between Economy and Business Class.

My aircraft today, G-RJXH, was one of the newer Embraer ERJ-145s in BMI Regional’s fleet and it was also one of BMI’s Star Alliance livery aircraft. The cabin was clean and quite well maintained, but there were quite a few signs of wear and tear on the seats. The aircraft was configured in a 1-2 layout with a seat pitch of 31 inches and width of 17.3 inches. Overall, the seat comfort was sufficient for a one hour flight, but it was quite poor when one considers that this was Business Class.

This Embraer ERJ-145EP had its maiden flight in May 2001. The aircraft is owned by BMI Regional and the first flight with the airline was in June 2001. G-RJXH flew in the Star Alliance livery from June 2001 until December 2006.

The rear of G-RJXH at the remote stand in Edinburgh.

II. Pre-departure

My boarding pass for BD380 from EDI to MAN.

As I stepped onboard BD380, the usual “Welcome onboard Mr. Globetraveller” was replaced by “Your hand luggage won’t fit in here.” While this was true, as the small regional jets do not have normal sized overhead bins, this was not the way to greet a passenger. Once everyone had settled down, I got up and gave my hand luggage to one of the ramp agents waiting outside.

The empty ERJ-145 cabin after everyone had boarded.

Seats 2B and 2C across the aisle from 2A.

Another BMI Regional ERJ-145 parked at a remote stand.

As the cabin was prepared for takeoff, the leading stewardess came to my seat and asked if she could see my boarding pass again; just like the agents at the check-in counter, she thought that I was not the kind of person who flies Business Class. After a quick glance over my ticket, she was satisfied that I was sitting in the correct seat and faked a smile as she walked away. I felt quite insulted that this had now happened three times in a row; it was just plain rude.

At least the flight pushed back on-time at 7:00am and the crew began their manual safety briefing soon after.

A Lufthansa 737 being pushed back for its early morning flight to Frankfurt.

The small forward galley and the vacant seat 1A before pushback.

At 7:05am, BD380 started taxiing towards runway 06 at great speed. Even thought I had been on an Embraer ERJ-145 before, I was surprised at how quiet the engines were. All I could hear was a quite hum coming from behind me – it was a very pleasant experience. After a short and fast taxi, G-RJXH taxied straight onto the runway and waited for takeoff clearance.

The long taxiway leading to the entrance to runway 06.

The main Edinburgh Airport terminal complex.

The threshold of runway 06 as BD380 taxied into position.

At 7:11am, BD380 was given clearance for takeoff and the two small Rolls Royce Allison engines spooled to full thrust. As the pilot released the brakes, the acceleration was brutal. With a load of about 15% in Business and 30% in Economy the aircraft was very light, but I had not expected such a savage initial force. The aircraft felt more like a nimble jetfighter than an airliner, which made for an experience I will never forget. After a brisk 18 second roll, BD380 lifted off from Edinburgh Airport at 7:12am.

The pristine Scottish countryside around Edinburgh Airport.

Rocketing down runway 06 just before takeoff to Manchester.

Liftoff from Edinburgh Airport at 7:12am.

III. In the Air

The light Embraer ERJ-145 climbed out of Edinburgh like a rocket and soon the two Forth Bridges came into view on the port side of the aircraft. After five minutes, BD380 levelled out sharply from its steep climb, creating a slight feeling of weightlessness for all the passengers. Soon after, the seatbelt sign was extinguished.

The two Forth Bridges shortly after takeoff from EDI.

Edinburgh Airport after BD380 made a sharp left turn.

The two Forth Bridges from a bird's-eye view.

As BD380 cleared the clouds above Scotland, the breakfast service began. There was no choice of breakfast and the passengers in Business Class were all given a small tray with an English breakfast. When my tray was brought to my seat, the stewardess quickly placed it on my table and walked away without saying a word. I have often received better service when flying Economy Class with other carriers – BMI Regional was a joke.

Clearing the first layer of clouds above Scotland.

The small breakfast tray shortly after takeoff from EDI.

The breakfast tray was very small and cluttered. There was barely enough space for the plastic plates, so much so that the small bun came stacked on top of the coffee cup. However, there was worse to come. As I opened the English breakfast, I found a massive hair across the soggy sausage and mushrooms. I was disgusted. The food did not taste good either and I would say that the highlight of the meal was the small yogurt. I think BMI Regional would have done themselves a favour by just not giving me any food at all.

The poor English breakfast with the long hair across the mushrooms.

A massive wind farm between a gap in the clouds.

As soon as the breakfast service was coming to an end, the captain announced our descent into Manchester. BD380 had barely been in the air for more than 20 minutes. I was still quite comfortable in my seat, but the legroom and width were quite poor for a Business Class product. There was also no IFE system to speak of and my seat was missing an in-flight magazine. At least the sunrise was keeping me entertained.

The poor legroom in Business Class onboard BMI Regional.

The beautiful sunrise in the East.

The green English countryside as BD380 began its descent into MAN.

At 7:35, BD380 entered a short holding pattern north of Manchester - probably because the flight was ahead of schedule. After flying in circles for a couple of minutes, we plunged into the thick layer of dark clouds covering the northern Midlands. At 7:45, the seatbelt sign was turned on once again and the crew took their seats. Sadly, the weather in Manchester was not playing along today.

The gloomy view outside as BD380 was in its holding pattern.

The outskirts of Manchester under the thick layer of clouds.

The heavy rain clearly showing on my window.

Soon, the landing gear was extended and the flaps were fully deployed. The lower and slower G-RJXH flew, the more the turbulence caused by the poor weather could be felt. Even so, I thought the Embraer ERJ-145 took the rough air extremely well for such a small aircraft. After bouncing around for another five minutes or so, BD380 crossed into the Manchester Airport perimeter and touched down on runway 23R at 7:55, 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

The countryside surrounding Manchester Airport.

Seconds before touchdown on runway 23R.

Back on solid ground after spending just 43 minutes in the air.

IV. Post-arrival

G-RJXH slowed down on runway 23R without deploying its thrust reversers; I guess they were not necessary on a 3000 meter runway. Manchester International Airport was quite busy at this time in the morning, but the poor weather made it very difficult to see out of the window – let alone take pictures.

Exiting runway 23R on this rainy morning.

A reminder of what once represented the pinnacle of commercial aviation.

A US Airways 757-200 and a Monarch A321-200.

The taxi to the terminal was interrupted by the fact that our gate had not yet been vacated by another BMI Regional aircraft. Nonetheless, this problem was resolved within ten minutes and by 8:05am, BD380 pulled into a remote stand. I now had a little more than an hour to catch my onward flight with Singapore Airlines, so I quickly gathered my belongings and rushed towards the exit. Naturally, the stewardesses barely managed to mutter ‘goodbye’ as I left the aircraft for the terminal building. However, this did not come as a surprise after the poor service I had received during the flight.

Manchester International Airport (MAN) is the largest airport in the United Kingdom outside the London region, serving in excess of 20 million passengers a year. It has two 3000 meter runways and three terminals at its location 14 kilometres southwest of Manchester. The airport serves as a base for the charter airlines Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways, and as a secondary hub for bmibaby, Flybe, Jet2.com, Monarch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Manchester Airport offers flights to over 225 destinations across the globe, which is more than any other UK airport, with more direct routes than Heathrow and Gatwick. Furthermore, it is the largest non-BAA operated airport in the United Kingdom, which automatically makes it a winner in my book.

II. Airside

I was the first passenger out of the aircraft and my hand luggage had already been placed next to the exit on the tarmac. Without further ado, I quickly proceeded into the terminal building and headed towards the baggage claim hall. Manchester International Airport has a great layout and I was in the arrivals hall in less than five minutes. To my surprise, my luggage had already arrived there before me!

The busy domestic ramp at Terminal 3 this morning.

The clean terminal building at MAN.

The small luggage claim hall at Terminal 3.

After collecting my baggage, I proceeded outside to the landside section of the arrivals hall.

III. Landside

Singapore Airlines flights, like most other long haul flights, operate out of Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport, so I now had to use the shuttle bus from Terminal 3. Luckily, one of the buses was just about to depart when I arrived at the bus stop and I was on my way at 8:15am, one hour before the scheduled time of departure of SQ327 to Singapore.

The empty shuttle bus running between the Manchester Airport Terminals.

The Terminal 2 arrivals hall at MAN.

The bus ride only took about five minutes and I soon arrived in terminal two. However, my experiences at Manchester International Airport and the flight with Singapore Airlines to Singapore will be featured in the second part of this trip report series.

Flying with BMI Regional was the worst premium experience I have had in my life. Every single person working for BMI during my travels, apart from the lounge agent, was either de-motivated or rude, the food was tasteless and I felt like a person who had no right to be in Business Class. Furthermore, the lounge in Edinburgh was average and the seats were nothing to write home about either. I can see no reason why anyone would pay £100 on top of an Economy Class ticket to fly in Business Class, because what one gets in return cannot be worth more than £10! I honestly hope that when Lufthansa comes to town they give BMI a good shakeup, especially when it comes to their Business Class product. Based on this flight, I would strongly recommend against flying BMI Regional between Edinburgh and Manchester. I am sure other modes of transportation, such as renting a car or taking the train, would be far cheaper and more enjoyable.

Even though I do not write trip reports on every single flight I take, I aim to cover as many flights as humanly possible. All of my confirmed upcoming trip reports are listed in their respective order below.

If you enjoyed reading this report, you may also be interested in some of the previous trip reports I have written. All of my trip reports are listed in alphabetical order under their respective airline below.

Hey great report in terms of your photos and writing. Bad in terms of the service you got. If you read my report on BMI its very similar. Its a shame BMI has gone so low and their staff seem to be hitting a new low also.

Maybe LH can rescue it in time because as it stands now they have totally lost direction.

Hi,
a good read, and another time a bad story about BD (after OA260's report). I would be furious after paying a lot of money and receiving this kind of service.
That groundstaffs behaviour at check-in also happened once to me when travelling on LH. That happened in AMS, served by Aviapartner groundcrew. Quite bad, and this shouldn't happen.
Do you complain to BD/Star Alliance? Just tell them next time you'll fly another alliance. In the current climate in aviation, they need passengers like you, and they should be careful!

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):When I told her that I was flying Business she seemed to be annoyed and asked to see my electronic ticket straight away. mad I was probably not in accordance with her profile of the average businessman, but this was no excuse to treat me like a dumb first time flyer.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):As the cabin was prepared for takeoff, the leading stewardess came to my seat and asked if she could see my boarding pass again; just like the agents at the check-in counter, she thought that I was not the kind of person who flies Business Class.

It was something wrong with them or with yourself? (kidding) Not a great experience with your business seat in BD I think.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):When I told her that I was flying Business she seemed to be annoyed and asked to see my electronic ticket straight away. mad I was probably not in accordance with her profile of the average businessman, but this was no excuse to treat me like a dumb first time flyer. As I pulled my ticket out of my bag, she snatched it out of my hand and began to scrutinise it. I gave her a few seconds to glance over the piece of paper before I snatched it back and proceeded to the counter without saying a word.

It is done for your benefit, if passengers who join the business queue aren't checked that they should be there, then real business class passengers will end up queuing behind economy passengers thus negating the perk of business class checkin, so please, give the staff a break.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):the captain announced our descent into Manchester. BD380 had barely been in the air for more than 20 minutes. I was still quite comfortable in my seat, but the legroom and width were quite poor for a Business Class product. There was also no IFE system to speak

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):The airline’s problems on this route were recently highlighted again by a further reduction in May 2009 to a mere three flights a week, putting the frequency on the route back to 1991 levels.

Quoting HeeBeeGB (Reply 8):It is done for your benefit, if passengers who join the business queue aren't checked that they should be there, then real business class passengers will end up queuing behind economy passengers thus negating the perk of business class checkin, so please, give the staff a break.

That is certainly true but there is a way to speak to and the way in which the tone of language used should be done. I can totally relate to what Globetraveller has stated as I have experienced it myself and I am BMI Gold !!

The right way to address anyone who approaches a Business Class counter is ::

''Good morning Sir , are you flying with BMI in Business class today? ''

Quoting OA260 (Reply 5):Hey great report in terms of your photos and writing.

Thank you OA260. I am glad you enjoyed the trip report.

Quoting OA260 (Reply 5):If you read my report on BMI its very similar. Its a shame BMI has gone so low and their staff seem to be hitting a new low also.

I have read about your experience as well and it is remarkable how similar BMI was on both of our flights. I guess this proves that I did not simply get unlucky, but that BMI has some serious problems with its Business Class product in general.

Quoting Airbuseric (Reply 6):I would be furious after paying a lot of money and receiving this kind of service.

I was disappointed, but with my 9:15am connection with Singapore Airlines in MAN, I had no other airlines to choose from. At least the flight was on-time and my checked luggage arrived very quickly, because I would have been furious if I had missed my connecting flight.

Quoting Airbuseric (Reply 6):Do you complain to BD/Star Alliance? Just tell them next time you'll fly another alliance. In the current climate in aviation, they need passengers like you, and they should be careful!

I did not complain to Star Alliance or BD in the end. I guess my 14 hour flight with SQ straight after this experience made me forget all my sorrows. Even so, I am not very loyal to any alliance anymore anyway. I guess flying is less boring that way.

Hehehe... I never ended up checking, but from the look of them, they might as well have been IKEA products.

Quoting FatmirJusufi (Reply 7):It was something wrong with them or with yourself? (kidding) Not a great experience with your business seat in BD I think.

Hehehe... I guess this happened because I am only in my early 20s, so I do not fit the profile of the average Business Class customer.

Quoting HeeBeeGB (Reply 8):It is done for your benefit, if passengers who join the business queue aren't checked that they should be there, then real business class passengers will end up queuing behind economy passengers thus negating the perk of business class checkin, so please, give the staff a break.

Quoting OA260 (Reply 10):That is certainly true but there is a way to speak to and the way in which the tone of language used should be done. I can totally relate to what Globetraveller has stated as I have experienced it myself and I am BMI Gold !!

The right way to address anyone who approaches a Business Class counter is ::

''Good morning Sir , are you flying with BMI in Business class today? ''

Answer ''Yes I am ''

Reply '' Thank you sir have a nice trip''.

Now that didnt cost anyone anything did it ?

OA260, you hit the nail on the head with your response! I have no problem with being asked to show my ticket for the Business Class queue; in fact, I think that this is a good way of ensuring that passengers do not line up in the wrong place. However, the agent assumed that I was not a Business Class passenger before even looking at by ticket and she was terribly rude. There is no need to snatch a ticket out of someone's hand and there is no need profile a passenger based on their age.

I think I am generally quite fair about airline staff in my trip reports, so if it sounds bad, then it is probably true.

Quoting Elevate (Reply 9):Good to see your not only writing at a high standard, but your usual standard!

Hehehe... Thank you Sam. I really appreciate your comment.

Quoting Elevate (Reply 9):Do you know what the First Officer name was? (Nick C?)

I do not remember what the name of the First Officer was. Sorry. Why do you ask?

Quoting Elevate (Reply 9):I think this was your first problem... Buying a J seat on an ERJ operated flight!

I guess this is true, but I did not have any other options. The problem was my 9:15am connecting flight with SQ, which meant that I needed to get to MAN as early as possible.

excellent report with countless high-quality pictures as usual - and this one indeed seems to be more detailed than ever.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):At the counter, the agent looked surprised when she looked up from her newspaper and saw me standing in front of her. She sleepily reached for my ticket and passport and began to issue my boarding pass. By the time she had finished tagging my bag and handing me my documents, she had yet to say a single word. She had even forgotten to put a priority tag on my bag, which I desperately needed due to my very short transit in Manchester, so as I left and sarcastically thanked her for the ‘wonderful’ service I reminded her that my bag was still missing something. The service was appalling.

Wow, what a terrible behavior - but you reacted to her appropriately.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):My aircraft today, G-RJXH, was one of the newer Embraer ERJ-145s in BMI Regional’s fleet and it was also one of BMI’s Star Alliance livery aircraft.

Quoting Globetraveller (Reply 4):Every single person working for BMI during my travels, apart from the lounge agent, was either de-motivated or rude, the food was tasteless and I felt like a person who had no right to be in Business Class.

So I guess there's nothing to expect in Eco Class on my LHR-DUB flight next week...at least I get a new carrier.

Thank you very much for this trip report! I like your style of writing and the photos which detail the text. The structure is excellent too.

I'm sorry your trip was not so great though. For a Business Class flight BD let you down very badly. You should have complained immediately about the hair in your breakfast plate - that is unacceptable! That is not really the airline's fault as such (it's the caterer's fault) but you should have asked for another meal. About the staff querying whether you were going in Business Class, there are acceptable ways and means to enquire about that without being condescending so I will agree with you there.

From your report and a few others I have read here BD seems to be seriously adrift and in need of some focus. I think that WW too is going downhill - I have yet to finish my own report of a trip taken last month.

Globetraveller, thanks for posting this report. I was curious about bmi regional and now I know.

You're experience appeared bad, and I totally agree with many posters, bmi has lost its direction and is in need of a total overhaul.

That said, they do have a very genarous frequent flyer program and it's my opinion thats why so many of us still use them.

Despite your criticisms I still feel some of them are slightly unjustified, for example;

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):The food and beverage offerings in the BMI Business Class lounge were pathetic. There was no hot food, there were no savoury snacks and there was no champagne.

bmi lounges are not big on food, true. but Champaigne? What intra-EU business class lounge have you been it (without status) where champaigne is availiable? I can't think of any - perhaps the MEA lounge in Beirut, that's the only one that recently springs to mind, and strictly speaking that's not even Europe.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):The food did not taste good either and I would say that the highlight of the meal was the small yogurt.

The hair was disgusting, however as for the food - I've had bmi's breakfasts before and I guess its just a matter of taste - I love this food and would be more than happy to recieve it on a morning flight in business. So would, I imagine most of bmi's business clientele EDI-MAN.

As previous posters have mentioned - it's a 40 minute flight (not that that excuses poor customer service). I personally wouldn't even part with the money for the standard bmi business service on such a route.

You say it was for convinience you had to take that flight, but i'm interested, what was the business premium over flying economy on the route? I doubt it was worth it somehow.

Quoting Shamrock104 (Reply 18):Despite your criticisms I still feel some of them are slightly unjustified, for example;

I agree with you. Obviously there is no excuse for rudeness (considering it was 6am and Edinburgh though I'm not surprised) however what were you expecting from a domestic UK flght on an Embraer with bmi?

Obviously you can not compare it to a Trans-continental flight with SIA or Emirates, the lounge isn't going to be stocked with Krug, Pol Roger, Bollinger or Tattinger, your not going to get a choice of breakfast, and your certainly not going to get IFE of any kind!

What changes would you like to see exactly that would improve the product? And was there ANY positive experience or did the rudeness of the staff totally ruin it for you?

Other than that, I really enjoyed your report and pictures, very good : )

tbh I wouldn't even consider flying business class on any flights under 3 hours, its just not worth it.

p.s. the hot breakfast you get on BA flights to LGW in the morning IS faaaaar superior to that offering, and thats in Y.

I agree with you. I guess that is what happens when an aircraft is used solely on very short routes. However, other than the seats, the aircraft was in quite good shape.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 12):So I guess there's nothing to expect in Eco Class on my LHR-DUB flight next week...at least I get a new carrier.

Well, I am not sure if OA260 and this trip report show how good or bad BMI are in economy class, so it may not be that bad. Be sure to write a trip report!

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 12):I'm really looking forward to that - Jet Airways is a carrier which I really want to try as soon as possible.

I have never flown with Jet Airways either, so I am really looking forward to this trip too!

Quoting HeeBeeGB (Reply 13):Are BMi staff "outsourced" at EDI? Wonder how much of an impact this has on customer service or whether you were unlucky?..or worse, if it is inherent within BMi?!

From what I saw when I was at EDI, the BMI staff was not outsourced. I guess with about 20 BMI flights departing from Edinburgh every day it is likely that the staff would not be outsourced. Having said that, I do not know if this is what most members of BMI’s staff are like these days, but from what I have read about them over the past few months, it seems like I was not the only person who received very poor service.

Quoting Trintocan (Reply 14):Thank you very much for this trip report! I like your style of writing and the photos which detail the text. The structure is excellent too.

Thank you Trintocan. It is good to know that you enjoyed the trip report.

I think if I had received the same service (apart from the lounge) in Economy Class, then I would have said that this was an average flight. However, it was very poor in terms of a Business Class flight.

Quoting Trintocan (Reply 14):You should have complained immediately about the hair in your breakfast plate - that is unacceptable! That is not really the airline's fault as such (it's the caterer's fault) but you should have asked for another meal.

With hindsight, I agree that I should have complained. However, at the time, I was still quite tired and I did not want to have an argument with the crew so I just moved the hair aside.

Quoting Trintocan (Reply 14):there are acceptable ways and means to enquire about that without being condescending so I will agree with you there.

This is exactly my point. It is normal for check-in agents and the cabin crew to ask to see a passenger's ticket, but the problem with BMI was how the staff did this. I honestly felt like I did not have the right to fly Business Class for some strange reason, which is ridiculous in my opinion.

Quoting Trintocan (Reply 14):I think that WW too is going downhill - I have yet to finish my own report of a trip taken last month.

I have not read many trip reports on WW yet, so I greatly look forward to this TR!

Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 15):the more detailed, the better!.
No question, that I like these story from your point of view as far as your other reports here.
And also a well pictured experience.

Hi there Markus. I agree: the more detail, the better! I am glad you enjoyed the trip report!

Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 15):Thanks for posting and let me follow the next part onward on SQ.

The SQ trip report will hopefully be up sometime next week. It will be quite long, so it is taking some time - the flight was around 14 hours long after all!

Quoting Elevate (Reply 16):He's a good friend of mine and I know he was doing the MAN return that day, I'm just not sure which flights.

Oh... Okay... Sorry, I cannot help you with that. It was so early in the morning and I did not really pay attention to the announcements made by the crew.

Hehehe... Since all of the flights are pretty much one after the other, I would not mind doing this trip with another Airliners.net member! I am sure it would help pass the time. How about you buy yourself the ticket and come along.

Thank you Ricardo and thanks for reading and commenting on the trip report.

Quoting RICARIZA (Reply 17):Man, that is the most awful breakfast I have ever seen... pfff

Hehehe... Well, it was not the worst airline food I have ever seen in my life, but it was the worst Business Class breakfast I have ever had! It did not taste much better either!

Quoting Shamrock104 (Reply 18):Globetraveller, thanks for posting this report. I was curious about bmi regional and now I know.

Hi there Shamrock104. Thank you for reading and commenting on the trip report.

Quoting Shamrock104 (Reply 18):That said, they do have a very genarous frequent flyer program and it's my opinion thats why so many of us still use them.

I agree with you here. BMI's frequent flyer program has to be one of the most generous in Star Alliance and I can easily see why this would give them a strong customer base.

Quoting Shamrock104 (Reply 18):bmi lounges are not big on food, true. but Champaigne? What intra-EU business class lounge have you been it (without status) where champaigne is availiable? I can't think of any - perhaps the MEA lounge in Beirut, that's the only one that recently springs to mind, and strictly speaking that's not even Europe.

In my opinion, it does not matter if the lounge is an intra-EU Business Class lounge or one that is mainly aimed at long-haul flights. There is champagne in the LH Business Class lounge in FRA (since they improved the food and beverage selection) and if one looks towards Asia and the Middle East, there is champagne in most lounges. Just because this flight was a regional one, does not mean that this is an excuse for the lounge to be any worse than any other Business Class lounge in the world. In addition, BMI operates flights all the way to Zurich from Edinburgh and those passengers also have to use the same lounge.

Quoting Shamrock104 (Reply 18):I've had bmi's breakfasts before and I guess its just a matter of taste - I love this food and would be more than happy to recieve it on a morning flight in business. So would, I imagine most of bmi's business clientele EDI-MAN.

Personally, I like a sausages, mushrooms and baked beans. I mean, I live in the UK and have English breakfasts often. However, the food was completely soggy and tasteless. Maybe the catering was better on your BMI flights, because I am confident you would not like a soggy and tasteless meal either.

Unlikely: yes. Unrealistic: no. I am comparing this flight to any other short-haul Business Class flight, not just ones in the UK and not just on an ERJ.

Quoting Shamrock104 (Reply 18):You say it was for convinience you had to take that flight, but i'm interested, what was the business premium over flying economy on the route? I doubt it was worth it somehow.

If I had not taken the long haul connecting flight, then I do not think I would have flown in Business Class either. Another reason why I flew in this class was because my luggage weighed more than 20kg, so I would have had to pay for this anyway if I had flown in Economy. I think the premium over the Economy Class ticket was about £100 one way. I do not know how much it would have been for a return ticket, because I bought a one way ticket. Even so, I think it would have been a waste of money for £50 to be honest.

Quoting Baexecutive (Reply 19):I agree with you. Obviously there is no excuse for rudeness (considering it was 6am and Edinburgh though I'm not surprised) however what were you expecting from a domestic UK flght on an Embraer with bmi?

Obviously I was expecting way too much! Truthfully, I expected to be treated like I was a valued customer travelling in a premium cabin. This does not mean I wanted an IFE system with 1000 movies or three choices of breakfast. I would have been fine with one choice that at least tasted of something or a decent in-flight magazine.

Quoting Baexecutive (Reply 19):Obviously you can not compare it to a Trans-continental flight with SIA or Emirates, the lounge isn't going to be stocked with Krug, Pol Roger, Bollinger or Tattinger, your not going to get a choice of breakfast, and your certainly not going to get IFE of any kind!

I did not compare BMI to SIA or Emirates on a long-haul flight. I compared it to flights scheduled for about one hour. LH will serve decent food on flights lasting this long and SQ will even provide a three course meal on a 777-200ER with Spacebeds and an IFE to boot. I think I have been lucky enough to fly quite a few short-haul Business Class flights to know what one can reasonably expect. BMI failed to deliver on these expectations.

Quoting Baexecutive (Reply 19):What changes would you like to see exactly that would improve the product? And was there ANY positive experience or did the rudeness of the staff totally ruin it for you?

BMI's product did have some positive aspects, as the Overall Flight Rating above clearly shows. The flight was on time, the online reservation system was good and the ground handling at MAN was excellent. Obviously a great deal needs to be done in terms of the staff: they seemed de-motivated, uninterested and they were rude. The lounge could have had a small food section. The seat pitch should be improved - the seats could still be kept the same. The catering needs better quality control; I like English breakfasts, but I do not like soggy and tasteless food with hairs in it.

I think these changes would not be too difficult to implement, but only time will tell what LH has planned for BMI.

Quoting Baexecutive (Reply 19):tbh I wouldn't even consider flying business class on any flights under 3 hours, its just not worth it.

I usually do not fly Business Class for any flight less than four hours unless it is part of a longer journey. I think there is just not enough time to savour the experience in such a short amount of time and often Economy Class will be more than sufficient anyway.

Quoting Baexecutive (Reply 19):p.s. the hot breakfast you get on BA flights to LGW in the morning IS faaaaar superior to that offering, and thats in Y.

So, your journey has been commenced. I like the way you divide your TR in categories.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):As I approached the Business Class queue, a BMI agent directed me towards the Economy Class line and the quick check-in machines. When I told her that I was flying Business she seemed to be annoyed and asked to see my electronic ticket straight away.

Quoting Globetraveller (Thread starter):As the cabin was prepared for takeoff, the leading stewardess came to my seat and asked if she could see my boarding pass again; just like the agents at the check-in counter, she thought that I was not the kind of person who flies Business Class. After a quick glance over my ticket, she was satisfied that I was sitting in the correct seat and faked a smile as she walked away. I felt quite insulted that this had now happened three times in a row; it was just plain rude

I just can not understand why some people still judge passengers only on their appearance. Are they still living in the past? It is high time for BMI to send all their ground staffs on hospitality training with their Asian counterpart.
In addition to it, the business lounge offerings do not justify the price you pay.

Quoting Globetraveller (Reply 20):I usually do not fly Business Class for any flight less than four hours unless it is part of a longer journey. I think there is just not enough time to savour the experience in such a short amount of time and often Economy Class will be more than sufficient anyway.

I guess you would have felt better if you had paid a hundred bucks less eh

tbh I've never had any bad experiences with bmi and used them a lot from MAN/GLA/LHR both mainline and regional nothing spectacular ever stood out but the staff were always courteous.